Dragonflies: Part 1

I never thought I’d write anything about dragonflies. I don’t particularly care for anything with more than four legs, especially if they have wings and lots of eyes. There are, however, a few exceptions to this general rule, those being butterflies and lady bugs. It’s hard to be scared of a lady bug.
I enjoyed a beautiful day at the lake with some good friends and one of the best things about that day besides the company was the small dragonflies that were flying around us in the lake. We were lounging in floats in the lake and the dragonflies would land on your leg or arm and just look at you. One sat with me for a while and I was able to get him(?) to land on my finger. I had never seen a dragonfly that close up before. It’s truly amazing they are able to fly at all. Their wings look like lace and these little guys were the most incredible shade of metallic blue. My buddy the dragonfly was so beautiful (even with the lots of legs and eyes). I never thought that I would make friends with any creepy crawly. But now dragonflies join the ranks of butterflies and ladybugs…welcome.


Dragonfly Habitat

Nasty irritating weeds grew with might
They grew gigantically to knee height
A garden annoyance…they must be removed
Their presence is unanimously disapproved

Firm hearty tugs should suffice
Gloved hands pulling once then twice…
The stubborn spiky weeds nettled
Resisting… as a small dragonfly settled

Causing me to reconsider my intentions
The rare visitor stirred admiration…
The iridescent winged beauty stared
Invoking feelings…as though it cared

We looked at one another…greeting
What’s the reason for this meeting?
Only wonder can explain this delight
Swift wings lifted it into flight

Saddened as the marvel jets and darts
Suspended in the atmosphere… then it departs
Thoughts of pulling rascal weeds are retracted
If they stay, more dragonflies may be attracted
7/21/09 Theresa Moore

Urban Wildlife

My hotel in the city I recently visited looked out over a small park. Just one block square surrounded by traffic and tall buildings. Over the course of my visit I had observed people walking quickly to catch the metro or the bus, homeless men lounging on the park benches, and pigeons gracing the head of a statue of a long dead war hero, but I had not seen any animals, in particular, no squirrels. In my opinion, any park with a tree needs squirrels. They’re funny. It made me sad that despite how pretty the park was, there wasn’t any wildlife to make it truly a little slice of nature in the city. On the last day of my visit I was watching the people scurry to their important appointments when I saw one lone squirrel dash from the middle of the park across the sidewalk and up the nearest tree. Maybe living in a big city wouldn’t be so bad after all…

Big Scary Grates

So, I'm currently in DC. I love DC, all the hustle and bustle without the claustrophobic feeling of NYC and a better metro system. A colleague and I are walking down the street and this little boy, about 4 years old is walking by himself. (he had an action figure in his hand) His dad is about 10 feet ahead of him. What separates them? One of those metal grates in the sidewalk you find in big cities. The kid is just staring down into the grate like he can see to the bottom. Not afraid, just completely absorbed by this big metal thing in the sidewalk. The dad did good, just let him look and figure it out. It was adorable. Ah, to be curious instead of irritated that it ate the heel of your shoe.

Gardening Experiment #2:

I bought a house three years ago. It was finally time to quit paying rent and I was ready to “be an adult”. Two of my goals of home ownership were 1) a dog, and 2) a garden. The dog will be another (or several posts, as she’s hilarious). The first garden I tried was my first real summer in my new casa. I chose to plant a container garden because I just couldn’t even manage the idea of an in ground garden. So I planted herbs, some veggies, and some flowers. Many of these plants are still alive today. Many of them were also dead before the end of the summer. The first experiment was fun and made me decide to try again. I don’t like yard work. So my goal was an easy and small garden. There are a lot of things about gardening that I like….the validation of having grown something yourself, the battle between you and the damn caterpillars that eat your cucumbers, the sadness knowing that annuals won’t make it through the fall. But the thing I really love about gardening…the smell. I love the smell of tomato plants, not the fruit, the way they smell spicy when you touch them. I grow herbs, not because I use them in cooking (very seldom anyway) but because you can pull a leaf and roll it around between your fingers to release the oils and your hands will smell like rosemary, or pineapple sage, or lavender, even after you wash them. I love going outside after it rains and smelling all of the plants and herbs at once, plus the rain-----heavenly! It isn’t a big thing…it’s small and fairly inexpensive, but it makes me smile, take a deep breath, and forget about whatever family/work/friend/life drama is currently on fire.

the small things….
Before I begin this project, I’d like to issue a disclaimer. I am not a sunshine and kittens sort of person. I’m not necessarily gloom and doom either, but I’ve never been accused of being Suzie Sunshine. However, I have realized that despite all of the stresses of life it’s the small things that make it worth getting out of bed in the morning. The big things are great too, and trust me I will never turn down lottery winnings. BUT given that hasn’t happened yet, I’m trying to learn to revel in the everyday surprises that make me smile. Sometimes they are small and probably wouldn’t amuse anyone but myself. Other things though are universally enjoyed like ice cream on a hot summer’s day. If you don’t enjoy that you’re either severely lactose intolerant or not human. So, this is my try at writing a blog. Mostly it’s for myself, but if you enjoy it, please read on and tell others about it.